You can’t hit a home run from the dugout. The Padres were right to pursue Roki Sasaki, even though, by the time the Japanese pitching ace chose Friday to sign with the Los Angeles Dodgers, much of their offseason had come and gone to little effect.

The International Signing Period opened up on Wednesday and as teams lined up their future top prospects, Roki Sasaki remained unsigned. The 23-year-old Japane